This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a pressure-reducing valve for fluid and gaseous media, more particularly for regulating the pressure in pipeline systems, advantageously in buildings, containing a housing, preferably comprising an upper and lower part, an interior housing, wherein the interior housing has a poppet bore, a diaphragm for dividing the housing into a fluid-free and a fluid-flowing area, a pressure adjustment unit, wherein the pressure adjustment unit comprises a spindle, a spring plate, a spring holder and at least one spring, a fastening means and a poppet, wherein the poppet and the diaphragm are connected to one another by means of fastening means, wherein the poppet is arranged in the poppet bore and at least one sealing element is arranged between the poppet and poppet bore for sealing purposes.
2. Discussion
Pressure-reducing valves are used mainly in domestic and industrial water supplies, but they are also to be found in other useful fields and with other media. Also areas which convey ultra-pure media through pipeline systems use pressure-reducing valves, for example in micro-electronics, life-science industries, hospitals and research etc. They serve to reduce the higher pressure in the primary-side distributor network to an optimum pressure for the secondary-side outflow line whereby valve fittings and consumers in the outflow line are protected against pressures which are too high and the service life of the valve fittings can be increased as a result. The noise generated can moreover be reduced by installing a pressure-reducing valve in the outflow line, and the consumption of the medium can also be reduced, more particularly in the case of water supply networks.
DE 44 34 634 C2 discloses a pressure-reducing valve with which the adjustment of the desired output pressure can be easily managed. The medium which is flowing into the housing has a high, or too high, pressure for further use. The desired output pressure can be adjusted by the adjustment unit by suitably pretensioning the spring. This in turn produces the corresponding force on the poppet which regulates the output pressure. If the spring is compressed too strongly then it generates a high counter force on the poppet whereby the desired output pressure is high. The poppet, or its sealing seat which is located between the valve element and the ring-shaped projection of the housing, only closes when the pressure building up in the valve or in the poppet chamber is so great that it exceeds the permissible output pressure, whereby the poppet is pressed against the spring force and the valve element closes the valve seat. The poppet and the valve element with rod consist of several individual parts, furthermore sealing elements are disposed thereon which guarantee the sealing tightness and which are likewise formed as separate parts.
A pressure-reducing valve of this kind is not suitable for use in ultra-pure media since the numerous individual parts increase the risk of contamination. Sealing elements of elastomers, as are conventionally used, are furthermore not permissible for use with ultra-pure media since they cause undesired abrasion which would contaminate the purest medium.